Ch9: Cavalry Battle Royal!!!
Note: Hey guys! Welcome back! This is, I think, the longest chapter of this story so far. I actually rewrote it four different times so I hope you guys enjoy it!
@SulliMike23: I ended up expanding more on how the teams were formed but I did change up two of them! Originally I wanted to change up all of them but I just couldn't make it work with my current writing skills unfortunately. This was definitely a chapter I was worried about writing. When I started the story, I almost skipped the sports festival entirely because I didn't think I could write it very well but Im happy with how it turned out. Hopefully you'll like it too! Thanks for the review :)
@abijayks: I really appreciate that!! When I started writing the idea of Peter having a best friend, the original idea was for it to actually be Bakugo. I ended up changing it to Todoroki due to his friendship with Midoriya which could involve Peter in more events relatively easily. Once I started writing the dynamic between Shoto and Peter I immediately started to have a lot of fun with it. I'm glad you like it! As for Fuyumi and Peter, there's definitely going to be some more platonic interactions between them in the future... The idea of a Fuyumi and Peter pairing is pretty interesting to me though. I might actually write a short separate fic based around her and a different aged up version Peter in the future! Keep your eyes out. :)
Thanks for reading you guys! I really appreciate it!
I don't own any of the characters depicted in this story...
"And since Izuku Midoriya claimed first place in the last round... He will be worth TEN MILLION!"
All Might looked down at his protege, who was frozen in a sense of dread, from his seat in the stands. The number one hero felt for him, truly he did... But this particular situation was beyond necessary for the young successor to familiarize himself with. The feeling of being the target everyone is aiming for was a cross that whoever would step into the role of the symbol of peace would have to bear. A burden that could only be shouldered by the person to call themself number one. Not only were other heroes trying to climb their way up to take the spot for themselves, there would also be villains wanting to take his head.
'Now you understand what it means to be at the top of the mountain young Midoriya... You must find a way to overcome this challenge.'
Midnight watched as the students reacted to the revelation. Certainly now, things would continue to get even more interesting. She snickered at the green haired boy's predicament before continuing to explain the rest of the rules.
"You will have fifteen minutes to group yourselves into teams of no more than four... Once your team has been chosen, your captain will receive a headband with the total number of points your group is worth all together. You will earn points by stealing the other teams headbands... All stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up and there is no limit to how many you can take. Quirk use will be under no limitations. The top four teams with the most points will move on to the final round!" Her face became stern.
"However, if your rider touches the ground at any point or if you purposely knock a rider from their horses, I'll deal you a red card and your team will be disqualified! You're time to form your teams will start now! Be sure to choose wisely..." As she finished speaking, a fifteen minute countdown started to tick down on the multiple screens around the stadium. The Second round had officially begun...
As the students began grouping themselves together, the televised broadcast began to show the highlights from the first round. Pro heroes from all over the world took notice, especially of the ones who finished in the top five. Even those tasked with guarding the massive event huddled around the TV in the break room to get a little bit of scouting done.
"OH MY GOD! Kamui!!! Get over here quick! I found your quirk twin!" Mount Lady shouted.
The masked hero stood up from his seat and made his way over to the television set. "Huh, the kid from America... would you look at that!" He said in surprise as Peter's highlight real began to play.
"Are you gonna put in an offer for him?" She asked the man who continued to watch the clips.
"Well, I probably will, but it doesn't look like there's much he could learn from me..." He said as he brought hand up to stroke his chin.
Death Arms and Mount Lady looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean? His quirk is nearly identical to yours." The man said as he took a long drag from his cigarette.
"Not exactly... Take a look. His quirk is far more versatile than my own. He's incredibly strong. If I were trying to hold up that behemoth of a machine I'd be flattened in an instant. Everything I could teach him would involve his capture abilities and mobility, and it would seem he already has a nearly perfect mastery of those aspects of his power. There's nothing I could really do to further his growth."
"I guess I see what you mean... I wonder where he'll end up..." Mt. Lady concluded as she continued to watch the screen with interest.
Peter and Momo stood beside each other as some of the other contestants flocked to them. They bombarded them with pleas of desperation to join their team. They looked at one another nervously amongst the beggars. As they were trying to slip away, Momo caught sight of Todoroki pushing past the group of people towards them. From the looks of it, he had already chosen two of his three teammates.
"Well I bet I can guess what he's coming to ask you." Momo said with a chuckle to the boy beside her.
Peter watched as his best friend finally made his way up to them. "Hey dude! How's the team search going?"
"I only lack one member. That's why I'm here." Shoto said plainly with a certain intensity in his eyes. He was never really one to beat around the bush during competitive situations.
Peter suddenly found himself between a rock and a hard place. He began to stress about the choices in front of him. Shoto or Momo. One or the other. No in between. No matter what he chose, it felt like he was abandoning the other. It was a situation he had hoped beyond anything that he would never be faced with. He held his breath with anticipation.
"Yaoyorozu... I need you on my team."
Peter and Momo's eyes widened in shock. Both had been absolutely certain that the boy was on his way to recruit Peter into his ranks. The girl was dumbfounded by the sudden twist of events. "You want... Me?"
Kirishima walked towards his friend with a smirk on his face. "Bakugo!!"
The blonde was busy rejecting people he found useless to his plight, but as he heard the familiar voice he turned to face the source. "Hn. I was wondering when you'd show up. Let me guess, you're wanting to work together."
"Duh. We always do! Besides I happen to be the most important part of your chances of winning."
The crowd that had gathered around Bakugo watched the interaction take place. The blonde scoffed at his self aggrandizing claim. "What makes you so important to me?"
The red head's smirk widened to reveal his sharply pointed teeth. "You wanna be a rider right? That means you're gonna need a strong front horse that can withstand your blasts..." He activated his quirk and his body hardened to the current maximum of his powers capabilities. The jagged edges of his body were more prominent than ever before. His training had definitely pushed him far beyond his previous limitations. "That'd be me!"
Bakugo was convinced. He had actually planned on recruiting Kirishima to begin with for the same reasoning. "I need someone with guts..."
"My quirk was made for this! Let charge into battle together and show these people what we're made of!"
"...Alright." the boy agreed, he had found his first teammate. Now it was time to pick the others. He gestured at the group of students around him as he looked at Kirishima. "Now help me chose our next player, I can't remember what they're names are or what quirks they have."
"A- are you joking?!" Sero yelled out.
"Seriously?! We've been your classmates for months now!" Toru shouted, obviously offended.
Kirishima shook his head at his self absorbed friend as his eyes combed through the crowd. Once he noticed a certain face among them, he singled them out immediately. "There's our next teammate! Easy choice!"
Bakugo followed the direction of his friend's finger to find it pointing at Mina.
"Me?!" She brought one of her thumbs to her chest in surprise.
"Racoon eyes huh?" He said as he looked at the pink skinned girl with doubt in his eyes. He did, however ask Kirishima for his opinion, so he decided to hear him out. "Why do we need her?"
"RACOON EYES?!?!?!" Mina shouted out clearly upset about the nickname Bakugo had given her instead of bothering to learn her actual name.
Kirishima looked at the girl apologetically before turning back to Katsuki to explain his reasoning. "Her name is Mina Ashido, Bakugo! Don't be rude. Especially since she's our key to better mobility and melting Todoroki's ice." He began to spell out to the blonde. "I went to junior high with her... She's more than capable of keeping up with us. I'll bet you a weeks worth of free dinner that she'll be of good use."
Mina's black eyes widened at the words of her long time classmate. She always silently felt that she went relatively unnoticed since she started school at UA. She felt her power paled in comparison to some of the people's in her class. The acknowledgement of her capabilities filled her with a determination like never before.
Katsuki glanced over at her to see her confident smirk as she threw up a peace sign his way.
"Alright then... This better work out." He uttered threateningly. He was mentally kicking himself for not paying more attention to his classmates during his time at his new(ish) school. He detested the idea of leaving such an important decision in the hands of someone other than himself. One weak link could jeopardize his chances of advancing to the final round... But he left himself no choice but to trust Ejiro's judgement.
The girl hopped over happily towards the two and became an official member of "Team Bakugo".
"That leaves one last spot to fill... Do you have your eyes on anyone?" Kirishima asked the team captain.
"What about him?" Mina pointed behind them.
Katsuki and Kirishima turned around to see the person Mina was gesturing towards walking in their direction. Bakugo narrowed his eyes. "What the hell does he want?"
Izuku stood alone amongst the groups that began to cluster together. Teams were quickly being formed around him as time continued to pass by. He needed to find people to join him and fast. Half of the allotted time was already gone, and nobody was exactly lining up to join him due to the hefty ten million point target on his back. He had to be proactive and at least try to convince three others to join him before he was out of time and placed in a group by default, putting him at an extreme disadvantage from people who had chosen their teams strategically.
He began to search through the people left over from his own class. Everyone seemed to be doing the same. It was too much of a gamble to try to work with people who's powers they were unfamiliar with. He tried Ojiro, Tsu, and Shoji, only to receive a cold shoulder from all of them. He then realized that no other team would be worried about keeping their own headbands throughout the entire game... It was a better strategy to try to steal as many as they could.
He was starting to lose hope when suddenly a familiar voice addressed him from behind.
"Hey, Deku! Let's team up!"
"URARAKA?!?!?! Are you sure?! People are going to be coming after me because of my stupid ten million points! Please tell me your not kidding!!!"
"Well, if we run away the whole time then we'll win right?" She questioned innocently.
Midoriya slightly balked at the question, "Um... I think you either have too much faith in me or not enough in everyone else." He laughed nervously.
"Oh whatever!" She said with a large smile. "Besides, it's better to team up with people you like!" She proudly gave him a thumbs up.
Izuku smiled as hope was once again kindled. "You're right! In a game that requires so much teamwork, it's smart to find other people who you communicate well with." The gears in the boy's brain began to turn. A plan was forming in his mind. And a good one. "In fact, if we have your zero gravity quirk along with another one of high mobility, we just might be able to hang onto our points long enough to survive the time limit!"
He looked at Ochako, "Come on we need to find Iida!"
She nodded her head and they jogged over to the class rep who was speaking with Kaminari.
"Iida!"
He turned around to find his two close friends looking at him with excitement.
He walked over to them as Midoriya began to explain his high mobility centered plan to the speedster.
"I know it's not much... But it's the best I could come up with in such a short amount of time. We'd have to find a strong rider too. I'm not sure who could do it... Do you have any ideas?" Izuku asked his friend.
"An excellent strategy as always Midoriya... But I'm sorry... I'm going to have to refuse your offer." The class rep said lowly. It hurt him to turn his friends away but he had his own reasons for doing so.
The two members of Team Midoriya looked at him in shock as he began to explain himself.
"Ever since we started here at UA, I've been losing to you. And now, with the addition of Parker to our class, I have a second mountain to climb. If I continue to follow you, I'll never get stronger. I'll never become the hero I want to be. Bakugo and Todoroki have already challenged you... But they aren't the only ones that see you as a rival. I have to try to beat you, for my own sake. Please don't take it personally. You're an incredible friend. This is just part of my journey to become Ingenium."
"Iida..." Uraraka uttered sadly.
Midoriya looked up at his friend and a small smile appeared on his face. "I understand... Do your best Iida!"
"Good luck you two." He offered a smile before walking back over to Kaminari.
Ochako and Izuku once again found themselves dead in the water without a plan and no idea who to try to recruit.
"Oh good... You're still alone..." Came a diabolical voice once again from behind him. They turned around to find the steam punk support course student from the obstacle race walking towards them shaking with excitement. "Hello person in first place!!! We haven't met, but I'm about to use your current fame to my own personal advantage!"
'That's awfully straight forward.' he thought to himself.
"Oh yeah! You're that chick from the support course!" Ochako said as the girl pushed past her and invaded poor Midoriya's personal space.
"Name's Mei Hatsume! I'd like to offer you my services and my loads of equipment. I'm sure there's something in my arsenal of gadgets that you'll find extremely helpful to your cause!" She said as she slammed the massive case she was holding down in front of him.
"You want... Me?!" Yaoyorozu and Peter both looked at Shoto with expressions of shock.
"I don't want you... I need you on my team." Shoto clarified the importance of his situation to her.
"S-sorry you just caught me off guard. I thought you were coming over to ask Peter to join you." She said still trying to wrap her mind around the situation.
"Honestly I did too." Peter chimed in nervously as he scratched the back of his head.
"Ideally, I'd be able to ask both of you to join, but the rules say I can only have up to four members on my team. I've already carefully picked the other two, but without you my whole strategy falls apart." He said as he looked at the girl in front of him.
"U-uh I just...-" she stammered looking between both Peter and his best friend before Peter chimed in.
"Can you give us just a second buddy? I promise it'll be really fast."
"Okay?.." he responded as he watched Peter take Momo off to the side. He turned around to see Midoriya had recruited the support course student and Uraraka to his team. He was trying to maximize his mobility... He planned on trying to run the whole time. Todoroki looked back at the two whispering to the side. His need for her to join him had just increased exponentially...
"Hey is everything okay?" Peter asked her, "You looked like you were having some trouble making a decision."
Momo looked back at him with a troubled look on her face. "Y-yeah it's just... I don't know what to do... Todoroki looks and sounds like he's really depending on me...part of me really wants to help him... but..." She trailed off as her face hardened.
"But what?"
"If I accept his offer, where does that leave you?" She asked. "You helped me get to this point. You went out of your way to train with me every day for the entire week leading up to this day... And when we weren't training, you were helping me believe in myself... I worked hard, sure... I'm not trying to take any credit away from myself... But without you Peter, I wouldn't be the competitor I am right now. To ignore your part in what this journey has been for me would be impossible... How am I supposed to just leave you by yourself without a team to go to that gives you a chance to make the final sixteen?"
She was having trouble containing her feelings for him along with her other emotions, but she kept herself together. Her eyes remained on the ground until she heard him begin to speak.
"Mo... Listen to me." He started as she lifted her head. "I know you're not trying to be hard on yourself, but I didn't pull anything out of you that wasn't already there." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do you remember yesterday when we were talking about what was bothering me in the restaurant?"
She nodded in response.
"Shoto has his own reasons for needing to win this tournament, and quite frankly, they're much bigger than my own. I wish I could tell you more, but just know that if he says he needs you, then he really does... I promise you aren't leaving me at all, in fact if you join him and help him succeed, it'd mean the world to me. There's still plenty of time for me to find a group. Don't worry about me, I'll figure something out. We're both going to make it to the next round. Go claim your spot."
Momo smiled, it was just like him to think of others before himself. Even thlhough in her heart she still wanted to stay with him, she knew that this was the right choice. Taking his words to heart she nodded. "Okay Peter... But you have to promise me something."
"Name it."
She smirked at him, "You better not not lose Peter Parker. Get to the final round so we can cheer each other on." She held out her fist.
He grinned as he touched his knuckles to hers, "I'll be there. I promise."
They both turned and walked back to Shoto. As they returned he looked to her for an answer. "Well?"
She let her reclaimed confidence show as she smirked at him. "Let's go get to work on a strategy."
He nodded with a grin of his own. "Iida and Kaminari are waiting over there. I'll be right behind you in a second."
She nodded and began to make her way towards her teammates. After a couple of steps she looked back over her shoulder, "I'm gonna hold you to your word Peter." She called out to him.
"I'm not one to break promises." He called back as she continued to walk away.
Shoto looked confused. "What promise?"
"She's just worried about leaving me without a team. She made me promise to make it to the next round." He answered.
"I hope you don't have any hard feelings Parker. Without her, my whole plan doesn't work. I really did want to take you both. It wasn't an easy choice." He said to his best friend.
"Listen dude, I totally understand. I know your reason for wanting to win. I'm always in your corner. Just make me a promise now..."
"What's that?"
"With both of you working together, there's no way anyone should be able to stop you. You better advance. You both worked too hard to get knocked out before the final round."
Shoto smiled, "Sounds like you should be worrying about yourself then. Good luck Parker."
"You too Broto."
Shoto shook his head as they both turned their separate ways.
"Don't go doing anything stupid now!" Peter called out over his shoulder.
"Oh! You mean like jumping onto a bunch of landmines?!" Shoto retorted from a good distance away, as he turned around continuing to walk backwards.
Peter whipped around and pointed a finger at him, "That! Sir! Is a facile argument!"
They both laughed as they continued to part ways.
"...it is when things are at their hardest, that the world needs a light of kindness to shine its brightest. Always do your best to be that light Peter."
"I hope you saw that May..."
"Okay... We're going to have excellent mobility with your zero gravity quirk and the hover boots and jet pack from you." Izuku said to his two teammates. "Now we just need someone with a solid defensive skill set to be our front horse."
He scanned the remaining contestants who had yet to find a team, until his eyes stopped on one in particular. "Alright... I know who I want. Wait here..." He said to the ladies as he jogged over to Fumikage Tokoyami.
As he approached him, the half-avian turned around at the sound of his footsteps. Izuku had a stern expression on his face as he spoke with confidence. "Join me."
"You are the one worth ten million points... You must be having trouble finding a team with the situation you find yourself in." Tokoyami said as he looked at Izuku with scepticism. "I'll hear your proposal... But if you want me to join you, it had better be convincing, all things considered."
Izuku nodded as he gestured to his team. "I already have two members that give us a significant mobility advantage. With Uraraka's zero gravity quirk, along with the help from Hatsume's support items, we will be able to maneuver around the battlefield effortlessly and effectively. I'm hoping that you'll join as our front horse."
"Go on..." he said with piqued interest.
"I would need you to devote yourself to defense... My hope is that you won't have to attack at all... If you decide to join us, we will be trying to hold onto my headband for the entirety of the game. We need your shadow to provide protection from any incoming attacks." Izuku finished his explanation and awaited his response.
Tokoyami thought it over quickly before finally deciding to speak. "It truly is interesting... When I'm in darkness, Dark Shadow is incredibly powerful but hard to control. In the light the beast is much easier to handle, but at the cost of its attack power. I've not mentioned this to anyone outside of Koda during the USJ attack... And he's a man of very few words. You couldn't have known this... Yet you have selected the correct role for me. That's the calling card of an excellent leader Midoriya..." He narrowed his eyes as he smiled. "...Very well... I'll follow you."
Monoma paced back and forth as he addressed his team, composed of Tsuburaba, Tetsutetsu, and Kendo... Along with the rest of class B.
"Listen to them... This entire audience is frothing at the mouth for class 1A... Why is that? It's like Tetsutetsu said earlier... They're all just a bunch of arrogant jerks who think they're better than everyone."
The scowls on some of their faces told the whole story... Class 1B was about to bring everything they had into this fight as a collective.
Neito's superiority complex had completely taken over as he continued his speech. "The only thing that separates them from us is the fact that they were attacked by a few villains and had to be saved by our teachers... Just because we're class B doesn't make us second best... There's no reason we can't go out there and win this whole thing... Are ya with me?"
Peter wandered around with his hands placed in his pockets as he looked around at his options. He and Momo had been mobbed by people earlier wanting to team up with him, but after Shoto's intervention, they had all scattered and teamed up with others before he had a chance to put a group together.
"Nope... Not them... Too incompatible..." He said to himself as he crossed groups off the list as he passed by. He honestly didn't think finding a group would be too hard, but it was actually proving to be rather difficult. He continued his search with his promise to Momo on his mind. He had to be methodical about this. He wasn't about to let her down, or be on the sidelines for the next round. Just as he was starting to lose confidence he saw a team with only three people that had a great amount of potential...
'Bakugo...'
He turned and began walking in the direction of Katsuki's group. In his mind he knew this was his best chance to move on. The odds were stacked against him though... The hot head was likely to turn him away unless he gave the most charismatic performance of his entire life. He continued to stroll towards them as he looked to his left and right looking for a potential back up plan. He spotted Midoriya during his last second search and smirked. He had his angle.
As soon as he was within earshot he noticed the members of Team Bakugo turn to him. "Looks like you guys could use a fourth... I figured I'd come over and throw my hat in the ring."
Bakugo didn't seem like he was willing to consider it as he confirmed his suspicions instantly. "Get lost Parker! I'd rather go into this fight with a team of three than have you join!"
Fortunately for Peter, the other two members of his team voiced their disagreements vehemently. He had managed to stick his foot in the way of the closing door.
"There's no way you're being serious right now?! We could seriously use him dude!" Kirishima pleaded.
"Yeah! At least hear him out first!" Mina scolded.
Bakugo grunted as he was in no position to replace his entire team in such a short amount of time. "Fine! What do you have to offer bug boy?!"
Peter chuckled. "Well, for starters I can offer you even more mobility. I see you've already got Ashido here... That works well for moving around on the ground... But with my webs, I could pull you back to us if you wanted to go airborne."
Katsuki raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna need to be able to offer more than that."
"I know that... I also know that you'd love to be able to beat both Todoroki and Midoriya, both of which have teams with excellent maneuverability... You've been on the other side of my webs before, so you know how strong they are. I can make sure they don't go anywhere while you rip off those headbands."
Kirishima and Mina needed no further convincing as they both looked at each other and nodded.
Bakugo narrowed his eyes, "Anything else you'd like to add?"
Peter flashed a smirk dripping with competitive fire. "Ten million... Let's go take him down."
The other two team members looked at their captain and saw his scowl turn into a menacing smirk.
"Now you're speaking my language... Welcome to the team... Parker."
The countdown struck zero as a buzzer sounded.
"Oh good, it's time to get this party started!" Midnight said as she stepped forward.
Present Mic woke up Aizawa and began to speak to the crowd.
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! THE TIME HAS COME! AFTER FIFTEEN MINUTES TO PICK TEAMMATES AND DISCUSS STRATEGY, TWELVE CAVALRY TEAMS ARE ABOUT TO GO HEAD TO HEAD TO TRY TO CLAIM A SPOT IN THE TOP FOUR TO ADVANCE TO THE FINAL ROUND!!!! WHO WILL MOVE ON?! AND WHO WILL BE LEFT TO WATCH FROM THE BLEACHERS?! ITS TIME TO FIND OUT WHAT THESE REMAINING FORTY TWO CONTESTANTS ARE MADE OF!!!!!!!"
"I see a few unexpected student combinations..." Aizawa added.
"EVERYONE GET THOSE HANDS UP AND LET ME HEAR YOU SCREAM!!!! ITS TIME FOR A HEART POUNDING BATTLE ROYAL!!!!!"
Midoriya looked at his teammates as he tied his headband on tight. "Uraraka... Hatsume... Tokoyami... LETS DO THIS!"
"RIGHT!" They all three responded in unison.
"LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD WITH ONE FINAL COUNTDOWN BEFORE WE GET STARTED!!! THREE..."
"Let's get him!" Katsuki growled.
"TWO..."
"He's ours!" Todoroki declared.
"ONE... BEGIN!!!!"
Midoriya's team's eyes widened. Immediately out of the gate the other teams rushed towards them.
"ITS LIKE ONE BIG BATTLE FOR TEN MILLION POINTS!"
"I'LL BE TAKING THAT HEADBAND NOW MIDORIYA!!"
Tokoyami looked at his captain. "We need to act! Make your choice Midoriya!"
"That's easy! We're running! Hatsume! Uraraka! Watch your faces!" He called out as his jetpack roared to life. The group shot off into the sky and over their assailants.
"HE FLEW?! DAMN SUPPORT COURSE!"
"AFTER THEM!!"
"Jiro now!!" Toru yelled as Kyoka's earphone jacks shot into the sky in pursuit of the escape artists, only to be batted away by Dark Shadow.
"Good work! Please continue to watch over our blind spots Dark Shadow."
"On it!" Assured the specter as it continued to circle around the group.
Before they could catch their breath a massive arch of ice formed as they flew towards it. Tenya's engines screamed with life as he dashed his teammates up the side in an attempt to intercept the airborne group. Dark Shadow rushed to their defense but was jolted by an electric light show from Kaminari. Shoto pulled back the thick sheet of insulation created to protect his group and Momo reached down, snatching the headband from Midoriya as they flew just below the apex of the ice arch.
"I GOT IT!!!" She screamed as they raced back down the other side.
The crowd went insane as Team Todoroki took a commanding lead.
"OH MY GOODNESS FOLKS I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!! ONLY TWO MINUTES HAVE PASSED SINCE THE START OF THE GAME AND ALREADY THE TEN MILLION POINTS ARE IN THE HANDS OF TEAM TODOROKI!!!!!!!!"
"NOOOOO!" Midoriya screamed in frustration. As they landed on the other side of the ring.
"Don't worry Midoriya! There's still plenty of time to get the points back! If we were gonna lose the headband, the beginning of the game would be the most ideal time!" Tokoyami rallied the rest of his team.
"Should we try going after the other teams instead?" Uraraka asked?
"We can't! This team was built primarily for defense! It's gonna be hard to steal headbands! We have to go for the sure thing and make sure we advance!" Midoriya said with a sense of urgency.
"Then let's get started!" Tokoyami spurred them on as they began their pursuit.
'I have to get those points back! No matter what!'
Todoroki's team slid back down the ice and onto the ground with their ten million point prize in hand.
"Fantastic work Yaoyorozu!" Iida called out over his shoulder.
"You did excellent! You too class rep!" Todoroki commended them both as Yaoyorozu handed him the headband.
"Hey! We have to stay focused! We're at the top now! Everyone's gonna be co-" Momo tried to warn.
As Shoto lifted the headband towards his head, a web latched onto it out of nowhere and pried it from his grasp.
"Case in point..." Momo said under her breath, annoyed by the lack of vigilance. "PETERRRRRRRRRRR!!!" she shouted out in frustration as the headband zipped towards the hand of her crush.
He caught the band in his hand and spun it around his index finger as another eruption from the crowd rang out. With a smirk he called out to the girl, "Sorry Mo! Hope we're still on for dinner tomorrow!"
"ALL YOU SPORTS FANS OUT THERE, I HOPE YOU HAVEN'T BLINKED BECAUSE THE LEAD WAS JUST SNATCHED OUT OF THE HANDS OF TEAM TODOROKI BY AN INCREDIBLY PRECISE SHOT FROM CLASS 1A'S PETER PARKER!!!!! TEAM BAKUGO MOVES INTO FIRST PLACE WITH THE TEN MILLION POINTS!!!!!!"
"HELL YEAH! NICE WORK PARKER!!" Bakugo yelled as he snatched the headband and quickly slipped it around his neck.
"Oh my God!!! Dude! That shot was insane!!! We must be fifty yards away from them at least!!" Kirishima shouted with eyes as wide as his smile.
"Yeah that was awesome!!! Too bad you're probably in the doghouse now with YaoMomo though... I never knew she could scream that loud!" Mina smiled.
"Ahh she'll be okay, she's a big girl... But we're probably gonna need to watch out for them now! If I know her and Shoto, they're about to really come after us with everything they've got."
The words sent a shiver down the spines of Kirishima and Mina. Both of them weren't looking forward to the retributions of the two highly miffed, and highly powerful members of their class.
Bakugo's heart pounded with adrenaline. "I'm not worried!!! BRING IT ON YOU PATHETIC LOSERS!!! COME AND TRY TO TAKE THESE POINTS FROM ME!!!!"
"Damn it!! Come on! Let's go shut him up!" Todoroki's temper began to boil as a small flicker of flames flashed and disappeared in a blink of an eye from his left side.
'K-kacchan... This just got a lot more difficult...' Midoriya thought as his team changed directions and headed towards the mountainous obstacle that stood before them. As they ran forward they saw team Todoroki speeding towards the front runners. Tokoyami's pace began to slow down as he looked back at Midoriya. "It's too dangerous! The combined light from Bakugo and Kaminari's attacks paired with all the sunlight could completely destroy Dark Shadow!" He revealed the magnitude of the situation they were rushing towards. "We can still go after the points, but we need to bide our time and choose a different approach. We should strike when they present an opening!"
Midoriya gritted his teeth as he looked at the countdown and the score board.
TEAM MIDORIYA: 0 POINTS
'We aren't going to get many chances at this... We have to make them count!' he thought as they veered away from their ticket to the final round.
"Damn it Parker! Jiro! After them!" Toru yelled as they changed directions. Jiro exhaled sharply from exhaustion.
"Why the hell isn't Sato the front horse?! How does this make any sense?!" She complained as the sugar powered strongman glanced up with wide eyes.
"Hagakure!! What happened to your headband?!"
The invisible girl's shirt sleeves moved upwards as she felt her forehead. "WHAT?! WHERE'D IT GO?!"
As Team Hagakure slid down alongside Team Midoriya on the score board, halfway across the battlefield, Neito Monoma slipped the missing headband around his neck amongst the four others he had collected.
"Well now... That was too easy." He said smugly as they approached team Bakugo from behind. His team's egos began to get the better of them. "Whaddya say we go introduce ourselves to the two idiots that gave those terrible speeches earlier?"
They smirked as their new target grew closer.
As Team Todoroki made their way across the field a massive sheet of ice froze half of the teams to the ground. Effectively taking them out of the game.
"COME BACK HERE YOU JERK!!!"
"COWARDS!!!"
As the six teams hung their heads, understanding that their defeat was at hand, they heard a voice from behind them.
"Who's quirk did this to you?"
As they all began to answer at once, one by one, their eyes glazed over.
"Good... Now hand over your headbands like good little heroes..." Shinso said with a cryptic smile.
The battle raged on as Team Todoroki stole more and more headbands as they made their way towards Team Bakugo, who were plowing forward through their competition as well. Unfortunately for them, they were unaware of the presence of Team Monoma pursuing them from behind, biding their time for an opportunity to strike...
"Whoa, those class 1A students are something else!!"
"They're gonna be at the top of the hero billboard chart someday for sure!!"
"THERE'S NO WAY THE THIRD YEAR SHOWING IS GONNA BE THIS GOOD!!!"
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!!! WE'RE JUST OVER HALFWAY THROUGH THE SECOND ROUND AND THE COMPETITION IS REALLY HEATING UP!!! WHADDYA SAY WE CHECK THE STANDINGS AND SEE WHO ARE CURRENT LEADERS ARE???!!!"
As Present Mic finished his sentence, the scores for all the teams flashed onto the jumbotron. A massive gasp rushed through the stands as the board told an entirely different story than what they all had expected.
FIRST PLACE: TEAM MONOMA
SECOND PLACE: TEAM TODOROKI
THIRD PLACE: TEAM SHINSO
FOURTH PLACE: TEAM AWASE
Present Mic adjusted his sunglasses and quickly grabbed his microphone.
"WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!!!!! I WASN'T EXPECTING THESE RESULTS!!!! OTHER THAN TEAM TODOROKI, CLASS 1A'S NOT DOING SO HOT!!!! EVEN BAKUGO IS LOSING!!!!"
The announcement caused Momo to look at the members of Team Bakugo in shock. 'Peter...'
TEAM BAKUGO: 0 POINTS
Off in the distance ahead of Team Todoroki, was Team Monoma racing away with the ten million point headband... and the rest of Team Bakugo's points as well.
"Your class is too narrow minded... You really should learn to pay attention to all of your opponents." Monoma spat towards them with a superior tone.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY?!?!?! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!!!" Katsuki shouted, suddenly filled with unbridled rage.
Monoma's team slowed down to a halt as he glanced back over his shoulder. "Midnight said the first round was an obstacle race, where the top forty two would advance to the next round... Didn't she? All we had to do was stay within that group as we ran. From our spots in the middle of the pack, we were able to observe all of your quirks and how you liked to use them... How you moved... What your tendencies were... Your strengths... And your weaknesses." His sneer was sickening to the spikey haired team captain.
"We were able to completely judge your capabilities... Only complete morons would obsess over winning the preliminary round... Wouldn't you agree?"
Even Peter's blood boiled at the over inflated self importance of the class B captain as he talked down to them like idiots. His brow furrowed.
"You planned this as a class?!" Bakugo managed to ask through his gritted scowl.
"It wasn't totally unanimous but I'd say it's turning out pretty well so far." He said as he tied the grand prize around his neck. "It's better than chasing after a temporary front runner like a bunch of stupid horses with a carrot waving in their faces."
"I'd lay off the insults if I were you..." Peter warned him.
"Oh look... It's the American... I wonder what it's like to be able to just latch onto the fame of others and leech off their popularity without doing anything to earn it yourself..."
Ashido's temper flared up at the words he used to insult her classmate.
"And don't think I haven't recognized you too Mr. Needs-Anger-Management-Therapy.." he pointed to Bakugo. "You're kinda famous... For being attacked by that sludge villain... You'll have to tell me about it sometime. It must be strange to always find yourself playing the role of the victim..."
Bakugo couldn't contain it any longer. "Kirishima... We have a new target... Before we go take down Todoroki... We're gonna teach every single one of these B-list idiots about respect." He said in a growl his classmates had never heard come from him before.
Monoma dismissed him with a small chuckle. He had the points after all.
Kendo finally spoke up. "Monoma! Stop provoking him. Our target on our back is big enough as it is without you making it worse!"
He rolled his eyes as he kept his smirk. "You're right Kendo, it's not very heroic of me... Besides you know how these things go. Heroes are always being hounded by moronic villains, desperate for some sort of revenge."
"Calm down Bakugo! We have to keep our heads so we can find a way to get our points back!" Kirishima tried to reason with him, but Bakugo, and Ashido for that matter, were too far gone.
"SHUT UP!" Bakugo screamed at his front horse.
"YEAH!! SCREW THIS DUDE! LETS KNOCK THESE JERKS OUT OF THIS CONTEST!" Mina shouted in agreement.
"THE GIRL'S RIGHT!! BESIDES... CAN'T YOU TELL THAT I'VE NEVER BEEN CALMER?! NOW GET AFTER THEM KIRISHIMA!!!"
Kirishima sighed. Bakugo was a tough enough task to keep in line. There's no way he could deal with both his and Mina's anger at the same time. Even Peter was starting to get irritated at their opponents. "Please don't make us regret this..."
They charged towards Team Monoma as Katsuki reared back with a crackling open palm. "YOU THINK YOU'RE SO TOUGH?! LETS SEE HOW MUCH YOU TALK AFTER I RIP YOUR TONGUE OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!!!" He screamed as he thrust his arm towards Neito.
Monoma snickered as he skillfully redirected Katsuki's hand away from him and used the boy's momentum to push him away. As the hot head turned around to attempt another blow, he found himself staring into the open palm of the cocky member of class 1B. A large explosion erupted from Neito's hand directly into the face of Bakugo.
Peter's eyes widened as the interaction unfolded.
"Whoa! That guy has your quirk!" Kirishima shouted in complete surprise.
'No! That's not it... The chances of that being the case would be astronomical at best...' Peter's brain began to work quickly. 'It's more likely that his quirk... No way...'
"Huh! I see why you like this power..." Monoma slapped the redheaded front horse as Bakugo shook off the damage and swung at him again, this time he connected.
As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Monoma stood motionless, and unharmed, with jagged edges covering his face that were identical to Kirishima's.
"What?! Mine too?!" Eijiro yelled in confusion. Peter's suspicions were instantly confirmed.
"That's not it!" Peter said through a scowl of his own. "His quirk lets him copy other powers..."
The captain of their opponents sneered. "Very good... I guess even an idiot can figure things out from time to time..."
Suddenly, a sheet of ice froze Peter and Kirishima to the ground. Realizing the impending danger Team Monoma began to flee. Todoroki was beginning to make his move.
"STOP THEM!" Screamed Bakugo but his team didn't move.
"It's no good! I'm frozen in place!" Kirishima shouted out to his rider.
Peter had to think quickly. "Ashido! Melt this ice! Bakugo! Go after them! I've got you covered! Kirishima! The second we can move we need to turn on the jets!" He directed quickly.
"I'm on it!" The girl said as she stepped on the ice and began to secrete her acid from the holes in her shoe.
Bakugo began to laugh maniacally as he rocketed towards the fleeing team of class B students.
"DON'T YOU DARE THINK FOR A SECOND THAT YOU'RE SAFE!!! YOU'RE MINE!!!"
The golden blonde haired boy turned to see Katsuki flying towards him. "Tsuburaba!!!"
The right wing of Team Monoma turned and blew a solid platform with his mouth, preventing their attacker from reaching them.
"ARGH! WHAT THE HELL?!" He pounded the barrier over and over trying to break through, without any luck.
"Haha! You look pretty stupid fighting with air!" The boy taunted.
'So this is just a mass of solidified air?? That means... It can be broken.' Bakugo thought inwardly as his twisted smile returned.
"What did I tell you??" Monoma said in an exasperated tone. "Giving up and knowing when you've been bested is an important part of being a he-"
*CRASH!!!!
Bakugo's hand shot through Tsuburaba's solid air and ripped a handful of headbands from Neito's neck. "YOU SHUT YOUR GOD DAMN MOUTH!!! YOU'RE NOWHERE NEAR GOOD ENOUGH TO TALK DOWN TO ME!"
For good measure he placed his open palm as the back of the boy's head and let off an explosion that shot him back into the air, leaving the other two remaining bands around his neck singed and marked with ash.
"Damn it he snatched some of them!" Tetsutetsu said in frustration.
"It's fine!" Monoma said as he shook the stars from his vision, "We still have two headbands worth over ten million points in total... As long as we hang onto these we can just let the clock run out." He gripped onto the remaining headbands as they fought their way through the remaining teams, barely holding them at bay.
Peter shot a web that stuck to his captain's back and yanked him back to his team.
"UNBELIEVABLE!!!! BAKUGO JUST LEAPT OFF HIS TEAM AND STOLE A HUGE CHUNK OF POINTS FROM TEAM MONOMA!!!!! IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED?!?!"
Midnight quickly took up the microphone, "HE NEVER TOUCHED THE GROUND SO ITS LEGAL!"
A thunderous round of cheers sounded out from the crowd as Bakugo looked at the point totals written on the headbands. They managed to steal enough points to knock Team Awase off the leaderboards but the ten million points were still in the hands of Monoma for now.
"ONLY TWO MINUTES REMAIN LEFT IN THE SECOND ROUND!!!! ITS CRUNCH TIME EVERYONE!!!!! ALL THE CARDS ARE ABOUT TO BE LAID ON THE TABLE!!! WHO WILL BE OUR TOP FOUR TEAMS WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS AND THE DUST SETTLES?!?!?!"
"DAMN IT!!!!!!" The blonde screamed in frustration.
The ice was finally melted and they were off and running again.
"Calm down man this means we're gonna advance!" Kirishima tried to reason with his friend.
"WE'RE NOT DONE!!!! WE'RE GOING AFTER THOSE POINTS AND WE'RE GOING TO BE THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPIONS OF THE GAME!!!" He screamed as they took off in pursuit of the first place team.
"Now look at this..." Aizawa piped up breaking his long silence, " Class B's strategy was a reasonable one... But there's one thing they never took into account..."
"I couldn't brace myself earlier when I jumped! GET CLOSER!!! WE'RE GETTING EVERY LAST POINT BACK FROM THAT IDIOT! AND THEN WERE GOING AFTER TODOROKI!!!!" The blonde screamed.
One by one, the intense competitive nature of Katsuki Bakugo infected his teammates. Devious smirks appeared on their faces.
"My students understand something crucial... It was something I never had to teach them... That there's a difference between those who aim for the top, and those that are willing to settle... That difference matters... Class B never thought to consider Class 1A's overwhelming tenacity." Aizawa said as he continued to watch.
"NOW PARKER!!!"
Peter smirked as he webbed the first place team to the ground. They were done for. They were sitting ducks as Team Bakugo raced towards them. As they turned to face their grim situation, they took their eyes off of the other, closer, threat that was approaching even faster.
Suddenly an outstretched hand grasped onto the most valuable headband of the game and yanked it from Neito's neck, knocking Team Monoma out of the top four. They sped away as Bakugo shouted in anger.
"DEKU GET BACK HERE YOU DAMN NERD!!!!"
As his team captain continued to scream, Peter caught sight of Momo as her group, led by his best friend, continued to chase the massive amount of points despite firmly holding second place. 'Momo Yaoyorozu... You've really got a hold of me... I've really come to enjoy chasing after you...'
HERE'S THE PREVIEW!!!
Monoma: *self righteous rambling mixed with insults
Peter: *growing irritated "Just ignore him Peter... Just breathe and ignore him... Don't think about how you could break his bones like styrofoam... Just relax and ignore him and maybe he'll go away."
Meanwhile:
Mina: "Oh. My. Go-d. Does he ever stop talking?!"
Momo: "Who even is that?" *raises eyebrow
Kyoka: "And why am feeling the urge to deck him in the face?"
Mina: *glaring at the blonde "Neito Monoma from class 1B..." *looks at Jiro "And probably because he's a hatchet-faced prick who hasn't left poor Parker alone since the cavalry battle wrapped up."
Momo: *narrows eyes "Is that so..."
Kyoka: "Hey! Where are you going?"
Momo: *calls out from a distance —"To see how many pounds of torque it takes to rip off a human ear."—
Mina: *yells to Momo "The answer is seven!!!"
Kyoka: *trembling "W-why do you know that?"
Mina: "Don't worry about it..."
Kyoka: "Well since YaoMomo and Parker seem busy do you wanna hijack this preview with me?"
Mina: "You know it! Now whadda we got here?" *grabs a script
Kyoka: "Cavalry battle wraps up! Nice!"
Mina: "Ooooo! Parker is gonna give some spine tingling words of warning to Monoma! Super stoked for that, personally..."
Kyoka: "And YaoMomo decides to start flirting with Parker?! Hell yeah!"
Mina: "Wow! Lots of stuff happening next time!"
Momo: *walks up with Peter, both smirking "Did you see where they went?"
Kyoka: *raises eyebrow "Where who went?"
Peter: "The people who left Monoma unconscious and locked him in a closet." *winks
Mina: "HA!"
Kyoka: "You didn't rip off his ear did you?"
Momo: *sighs "No... Peter wouldn't let me..."
Kyoka: "Probably for the best... Next Time!!!! Friends and Enemies!!!!"
Mina: "Oh! Can I do this part?!"
Peter: "Knock yourself out."
Mina: "GO BEYOND!!!!"
In unison: "PLUS ULTRA!!!"